Glossary

We’ve put together an extensive glossary of terms used in the mortgage lending business. If you’re not sure what a particular term means, click to find the definition in our glossary.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

T

Tenancy By The Entirety

A type of joint tenancy of property that provides right of survivorship and is available only to a husband and wife. One spouse dies the property goes to the other spouse. Contrast with tenancy in common and joint tenancy.

Tenancy In Common

A type of joint tenancy in a property without right of survivorship. Contrast with tenancy by the entirety and with joint tenancy.

Third Party Fees

Fees collected by lender for services provided by other companies, such as an appraiser.

Third-Party Origination

A process by which a lender uses another party to completely or partially originate, process, underwrite, close, fund, or package the home loan. See mortgage broker.

Title

A legal document evidencing a person's right to or ownership of a property.

Title Company

A company that specializes in examining and insuring titles to real estate.

Title Insurance

Insurance that protects the lender (lender's policy) or the buyer (owner's policy) against loss arising from disputes over ownership of a property.

Title Search

A check of the title records to ensure that the seller is the legal owner of the property and that there are no liens or other claims outstanding.

Total Expense Ratio

Total obligations as a percentage of gross monthly income. The total expense ratio includes monthly housing expenses plus other monthly debts. Used to help qualify a potential borrower for a home loan.

Total Monthly Payment

See Monthly PITI payment.

Transaction Fee

A fee charged each time the borrower draws on the credit line.

Transfer Of Ownership

Any means by which the ownership of a property changes hands. Lenders consider all of the following situations to be a transfer of ownership: the purchase of a property "subject to" the mortgage, the assumption of the mortgage debt by the property purchaser, and any exchange of possession of the property under a land sales contract or any other land trust device. In cases in which an inter vivos revocable trust is the borrower, lenders also consider any transfer of a beneficial interest in the trust to be a transfer of ownership.

Transfer Tax

State or local tax payable when title to a property passes from one owner to another.

Treasury Index

An index that is used to determine interest rate changes for certain adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) plans. It is based on the results of auctions that the U.S. Treasury holds for its Treasury bills and securities or is derived from the U.S. Treasury's daily yield curve, which is based on the closing market bid yields on actively traded Treasury securities in the over-the-counter market. See adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM).

Truth-In-Lending

A federal law that requires lenders to fully disclose, in writing, the terms and conditions of credit, such as a mortgage, including the annual percentage rate (APR) and other charges.

Two- To Four-Family Property

A property that consists of a structure that provides living space (dwelling units) for two to four families, although ownership of the structure is evidenced by a single deed. See multi-unit housing.

Trustee

A fiduciary who holds or controls property for the benefit of another.